Hightown Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the start of their day. They independently find their names as part of the self-registration process before quickly settling down to an activity of their choosing. Children form meaningful bonds with the staff team and turn to staff for hugs and reassurance, if needed, throughout the day.

There is a strong focus on building children's communication and language skills at the pre-school. Staff consistently use sign language to communicate alongside spoken words. This supports those children who find it difficult to communicate verbally or those who speak English as an additional language. Staff introduce new vocabulary to children at relevant times. For example, they speak to children about the 'gingham' pattern on school dresses as the children prepare for their move on to school.

Children learn about risks around them. A daily helper works with staff to complete risk assessments, moving around the room to check for any hazards. Children learn to negotiate stairs safely from a young age as they move between the garden and the rooms upstairs. Staff adapt the process to meet children's individual needs. As a result, children confidently understand how to transition from indoors to outdoors. They behave well as they wait patiently against the wall for another group of children to return upstairs.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff feel well supported in their roles. The manager supports them to develop their professional knowledge and skills while they work at the setting. The manager regularly meets with them to discuss their well-being and workload. Staff are keen to take on additional responsibilities, such as organising the lending library so that parents have access to a range of books to read with their children at home.
• Support for children who have known or emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Staff quickly identify those children who would benefit from additional help. They use appropriate strategies and activities effectively. For instance, staff use an 'attention bucket' with individual children and small groups to help build on children's concentration and communication skills. This helps to prepare children for the next stage of their learning and, as a result, all children make good progress.
• The owner and the manager have good oversight of the nursery. They reflect and identify areas to develop the pre-school further. They have a strong awareness of their local community and how best to serve and support this. They engage well with other professionals to ensure children are safe. For instance, they are in regular communication with the community support officer and discuss any issues as they arise.
• Parents are happy with the care that staff provide. They recognise the benefits of children bringing home books to share with them and comment that children really enjoy reading books before bed as a result. Parents receive regular communication and updates on their children's progress. Staff share ideas and strategies with parents to help build on children's learning at home and provide children with consistency between home and pre-school.
• Children are helpful, and staff encourage them to be friendly and kind. Staff provide children with consistent messages about the importance of hygiene, and children become familiar with this. For example, they go and get their friend a tissue to help staff when asked. Staff sing songs about dental hygiene as children brush their teeth after lunch. This helps children to understand why hygiene is so important.
• All staff participate in the planning of activities, considering the needs of their individual key children. The planning is available to the whole staff team so that everyone can support children's individual targets during activities. Staff have a clear understanding of the purpose of the activities they provide. However, occasionally, staff do not follow children's lead or respond to their cues during activities. As a result, they do not adapt their interactions, and children either lose interest or cannot follow their own interests freely.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to consistently respond to children's cues and interests and adapt their teaching to maximise children's learning.